UWF's first graphic design BFA students present exit show 'ripe'
- May 2, 2015
- / Mike Ensley
- / training-development
Two young artists are looking over the expanse of the ground floor of the UWF Center for Innovation in the historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood.
Several other artists are hard at work preparing eight white columns covered with various logos, advertisements, posters and other eye-catching pieces. Each one has a name emblazoned across the top.
“It’s just weird to stand here and see this all together,” said Rachel Zampino, briefly interrupting the hammer, taping and stapling.
Zampino, along with John Medzerian, Marie Fabozzi, Joshua Brown, Amberley Carter, Caitlin Brown, Rachel Waldrop and Rachel Wright, are part of the inaugural graduating class of the University of West Florida’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design, which began last August.
The eight are hard at work setting up their exit show exhibition, “ripe,” which opens Saturday night at 7 p.m.
[caption id="attachment_22682" align="alignright" width="960"]
Joshua Brown, a senior in the inaugural graduating class of the University of West Florida’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design hangs his work at the UWF Center for Innovation in the historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood in Pensacola, Fl. Friday, May 1, 2015. The show “ripe” opens Saturday night at 7 p.m.(Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
“We called the show ‘ripe’ because we’re all now fresh on the market,” Zampino said. “A fruit theme seemed natural and we’ve incorporated bright, vivid colors inspired by that.”
The show took nine months from conception to opening.
“Unlike a lot of exit shows, we, as the students, did everything ourselves, with support from our instructors and the university,” Medzerian said. “We saw this as a good opportunity to show our work to the public and to also reach out and get feedback from local professionals.”
Zampino says that she and her fellow students also took ideas from what they saw Pensacola State College graphic design students do with the space at the UWF Innovation Institute, but made their exit show format their own.
“We decided to make the space our own. We built the columns and painted the fruit for the display,” she said. “We think having UWF’s graphic design students display their work is important for the design community. We want them to know what we and the university are doing.”
Medzerian agrees.
“We hope this starts a trend (among the students),” he said.
What the students are doing in the graphic design BFA program is much different than what was being done in the former Bachelor of Arts program, in that it focuses on practical skills, in addition to design, that the students can in their career.
“We are much more focused on digital work. There is now a proper web design course,” said Medzerian. “The program now caters to what we want to do in the real world.”
[caption id="attachment_22681" align="alignleft" width="960"]
Rachel Wright, a senior in the inaugural graduating class of the University of West Florida’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design hangs her work at the UWF Center for Innovation in the historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood in Pensacola, Fl. Friday, May 1, 2015. The show “ripe” opens Saturday night at 7 p.m.(Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
The artists also hope that people can walk away from the show with a better sense of who they are and what they do.
“People ask me all the time, ‘What is graphic design?’,” Fabozzi said. “They don’t really understand what it is.”
And graphic design encompasses many things, according to Zampini.
“Great design is round people all the time and often they don’t even notice,” she said. “It’s in the signs and advertisements – things they see everyday.”
After finishing the program, the students say they feel confident knowing what it takes to be a great graphic artist.
[caption id="attachment_22679" align="alignright" width="681"]
Marie Fabozzi, a senior in the inaugural graduating class of the University of West Florida’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design hangs her work at the UWF Center for Innovation in the historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood in Pensacola, Fl. Friday, May 1, 2015. The show “ripe” opens Saturday night at 7 p.m.(Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
“I think you have to be well-rounded and versatile,” says Zampino.
Fabozzi agrees, but also believes that a personal touch is also necessary.
“To really succeed, you have to be you,” she said.
As the other students give their answers, Joshua Brown pauses in posting his work on his column to give his answer.
“Coffee,” he said.
Joshua Brown, a senior in the inaugural graduating class of the University of West Florida’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design hangs his work at the UWF Center for Innovation in the historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood in Pensacola, Fl. Friday, May 1, 2015. The show “ripe” opens Saturday night at 7 p.m.(Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
“We called the show ‘ripe’ because we’re all now fresh on the market,” Zampino said. “A fruit theme seemed natural and we’ve incorporated bright, vivid colors inspired by that.”
The show took nine months from conception to opening.
“Unlike a lot of exit shows, we, as the students, did everything ourselves, with support from our instructors and the university,” Medzerian said. “We saw this as a good opportunity to show our work to the public and to also reach out and get feedback from local professionals.”
Zampino says that she and her fellow students also took ideas from what they saw Pensacola State College graphic design students do with the space at the UWF Innovation Institute, but made their exit show format their own.
“We decided to make the space our own. We built the columns and painted the fruit for the display,” she said. “We think having UWF’s graphic design students display their work is important for the design community. We want them to know what we and the university are doing.”
Medzerian agrees.
“We hope this starts a trend (among the students),” he said.
What the students are doing in the graphic design BFA program is much different than what was being done in the former Bachelor of Arts program, in that it focuses on practical skills, in addition to design, that the students can in their career.
“We are much more focused on digital work. There is now a proper web design course,” said Medzerian. “The program now caters to what we want to do in the real world.”
[caption id="attachment_22681" align="alignleft" width="960"]
Rachel Wright, a senior in the inaugural graduating class of the University of West Florida’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design hangs her work at the UWF Center for Innovation in the historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood in Pensacola, Fl. Friday, May 1, 2015. The show “ripe” opens Saturday night at 7 p.m.(Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
The artists also hope that people can walk away from the show with a better sense of who they are and what they do.
“People ask me all the time, ‘What is graphic design?’,” Fabozzi said. “They don’t really understand what it is.”
And graphic design encompasses many things, according to Zampini.
“Great design is round people all the time and often they don’t even notice,” she said. “It’s in the signs and advertisements – things they see everyday.”
After finishing the program, the students say they feel confident knowing what it takes to be a great graphic artist.
[caption id="attachment_22679" align="alignright" width="681"]
Marie Fabozzi, a senior in the inaugural graduating class of the University of West Florida’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design hangs her work at the UWF Center for Innovation in the historic Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood in Pensacola, Fl. Friday, May 1, 2015. The show “ripe” opens Saturday night at 7 p.m.(Michael Spooneybarger/ Pensacola Today)[/caption]
“I think you have to be well-rounded and versatile,” says Zampino.
Fabozzi agrees, but also believes that a personal touch is also necessary.
“To really succeed, you have to be you,” she said.
As the other students give their answers, Joshua Brown pauses in posting his work on his column to give his answer.
“Coffee,” he said.
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